Paradigm Acquires 3 Agencies to Expand Reach With Local TV and Culinary Stars

Russia has opted not to submit a film in the Best International Feature category at the 95th Oscars. The decision, revealed late Monday night, was made by the Russian Film Academy and comes as the country’s ties with the west have deteriorated amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Crown actress takes on the role of widowed cleaning woman Ada, a hard-working housekeeper who decides she wants to spend her life savings on a Dior dress, after seeing one being worn by a wealthy client. She scrimps and saves (and gambles at the dog track) to raise enough money and finally arrives at Dior’s Avenue Montaigne headquarters, where she charms everyone. The fairy tale is complete when she moves to Paris and starts making some changes — for the better — at the fashion house.

Ukraine’s health care system, with items donated by the likes of Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Ellie Goulding. With starting prices at £10 or £5, fans can win signed merchandise and personal items donated by the stars. Harry has provided a signed vinyl LP of Harry’s House, while Ed has given a tour brochure and signed T-shirt and Ellie two signed merchandise bundles.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor In a sign of big moves to come for Roku, veteran TV executive Charlie Collier is exiting his post as chairman of Fox Entertainment to join the digital distribution platform as president of Roku Media. Collier will oversee advertising sales and content for Roku’s owned-and-operated channels featured on the streaming platform that hosts the fast-growing number of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels as well as serving as a key funnel for Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+ and other subscription streamers. Collier is set to shift to his new post at Roku in late October and will be based in New York.

Ross Kelly was a familiar face from ITV's This Morning for those who used to watch in the 1990s. He joined as a cover presenter and co-hosted on Fridays during the period when the popular daytime show was presented by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan. Ross, now 61, left This Morning after 3 years and joined GMTV presenting alongside Fiona Phillips and Lorraine Kelly.

All eyes are usually on the eccentric characters but the latest episode of The Masked Dancer saw Jonathan Ross in the spotlight. The ITV chat show host was back on the expert panel for more guessing alongside presenter Davina McCall, ex-Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse and former footballer Peter Crouch.

Attorney Page Pate, who was regularly featured on CNN as a legal expert on topics such as Georgia’s probe into potential election interference by former president Donald Trump, FL Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stripping Walt Disney World of its special district and the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, died off the coast of Georgia on Sunday, his law firm Pate, Johnson & Church told CNN. He was 55.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor UTA veteran Brett Hansen has moved to Paradigm Talent Agency as senior content agent, a hire that comes as part of Paradigm’s stepped-up effort to rebuild its roster of agents and clients. Hansen is a prominent unscripted TV agent. He’s repped such notables as SallyAnn Salsano’s 495 Productions, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens’ Propagate Content, Bunim-Murray Productions, Embassy Row, Zero Point Zero Productions, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia banner as well as Sean Combs, Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston. He spent 22 years with UTA, rising to partner status in 2010. “Brett’s extensive expertise and relationships in television bring an added dimension to our representation of creators in both scripted and unscripted programming,” said Andrew Ruf, managing partner of Paradigm Talent Agency. “Along with our parent company Paradigm Entertainment’s recent launch of Paradigm Media Entertainment, we continue to expand our clients’ access to creatively and financially rewarding opportunities across all media.”

Brett Hansen, who has spent 22 years at UTA, is moving to Paradigm Talent Agency.

Manal Issa and Nathalie Issa, real life sisters who play a pair of Olympic swimming hopefuls, also sisters, said they weren’t at all aquatic when cast in the Sally El Hosaini film ‘The Swimmers’ that opened TIFF last night.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Hearst Television began an experiment last year to see if there was a market for hyper-local streaming content closely tied to the markets served by its 26 TV stations. The answer, they soon discovered, is yes. Andrew Fitzgerald, senior VP of streaming services for Hearst Television, details the company’s decision to expand the original content featured on the Very Local free streaming platform on the latest episode of Variety‘s weekly podcast “Strictly Business.”

Kajol, one of India’s best-loved actors, stars in Disney+ Hotstar series “The Good Wife – Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhoka,” an adaptation of the CBS series of the same name. Disney unveiled a first look image for the show that is now in production. With the Indian title translating as ‘The Good Wife – Love, Law, Deception,’ Kajol plays a housewife who is forced to return to work as a lawyer after her husband’s public scandal puts him behind bars. The series is directed by Suparn Verma (Amazon Studios series “The Family Man”) and produced by Mumbai-based Banijay Asia. Kajol has credits that include romance “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” melodrama “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…,” romantic thriller “Fanaa,” drama “My Name Is Khan,” and hit the action comedy “Dilwale,” in 2015. She hails from the Mukherjee family which is studded with actors, directors and producers, and has been married to Ajay Devgn for more than twenty years.

Paradigm Entertainment, the owner of Paradigm Talent Agency, has acquired BEST, an affiliate of Blue Equity, under which BEST’s Napoli Management Group, Two Twelve Management & Marketing, and 3 Kings Entertainment business lines will become part of newly formed Paradigm Media Entertainment, the company announced on Wednesday.The new company will service the news broadcast and culinary talent representation business.  Paradigm Media Entertainment is majority owned by Paradigm Entertainment.Paradigm Talent Agency and Paradigm Media Entertainment will provide their clients access to the entertainment, publishing, brand partnership, and news media services of each business.The “Paradigm Media Entertainment” entertainment, broadcasting, and marketing businesses will be headed by Napoli Management Group’s Mendes J.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is sharing what it was like being in Ukraine when the war broke out and what he's doing to help his homeland.  Chmerkovskiy, who was born in Ukraine but is also a U.S. citizen, was in Ukraine earlier this year when Russia launched its invasion.The dancer was working as a judge on the Ukrainian version of "Dancing with the Stars" at the time.  When the war first broke out in February, Chmerkovskiy documented his experience of being in Kyiv.

Ben Stiller and Sean Penn are among 25 Americans who are permanently banned from entering Russia.

blacklist of 25 people, Senators Rick Scott, Mark Kelley, Pat Toomey, Kevin Kramer and Krysten Sinema were also barred from the countryThis isn’t the only thing the actors have in common, however, as both Penn and Stiller made trips to Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year.Penn traveled to Ukraine to capture the crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for a Vice documentary and had a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Chris Cuomo also joined the actor in Ukraine in June as Penn worked on a “film showing the reality and helping the hurting with relief org CORE,” according to Cuomo’s Instagram.

Sean Penn and Ben Stiller today were among 25 “high-ranking officials, representatives of the business and expert communities, as well as cultural figures” banned from Russia today by that country’s foreign ministry.

Chris Rock addressed the Will Smith Oscars slap during his latest comedy show with Dave Chappelle in England. Rock and Chappelle began their joint tour at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on Thursday where they both discussed being attacked while performing shows. "Did that s--t hurt?" Rock told the audience, according to The Times, who shared a review of the evening.

Chris Rock to be opening up about the infamous Oscars slap anytime soon. ET spoke with January Harrison, founder of January Designs and Creations, who was in attendance at Rock's show in Phoenix on Sunday, where she said he not only discussed the incident between him and Will Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards, but was adamant about not speaking publicly about the slap.As many will remember, it was at the Academy Awards that Smith slapped Rock in the face after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith before presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature. Harrison said that Rock told the audience that Oprah Winfrey asked him to do a sit-down interview with her to discuss the incident, but he declined.«During the evening, he did describe that he declined an offer to go onto Oprah to do to a sit-down interview and even a Super Bowl commercial with Will Smith himself,» Harrison shared.